COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Telehealth Growth in India: Some Insights

Author(s):  
Imon Chakraborty ◽  
P. Vigneswara Ilavarasan ◽  
Sisira Edirippulige

Telehealth is being rapidly embraced to deal with the COVID-19 health crisis across the world. Despite being a biggest exporter of software services, India has not been a big adopter of telehealth. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled the Indian government to assess the current assets and facilitate the establishment and use of telehealth throughout the country. Different telehealth initiatives are being undertaken in the existing public and private healthcare institutions and patients are increasingly embracing the services. We briefly highlight the potential role played by the start-ups in addressing the challenges. 

Author(s):  
Ruth Pearce

This chapter focuses on UK healthcare provision in the 2010s. It describes the material context of the author's research project in terms of both public and private healthcare provision, making visible the systems that trans patients must negotiate to access care. It outlines the medical pathway and extensive assessment procedures for the trans ‘condition’ with reference to clinical guidance and public health documents, while also examining the challenges faced by patients outside of trans-specific services. It shows how this context has been shaped by recent political events such as the passage of the Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012, as well as by international guidance such as the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care. The discussion is framed by a description of the power differentials that persist between practitioner and patient.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 754
Author(s):  
Daniel Motta ◽  
Luiz Fernando Taboada Gomes Amaral ◽  
Bruno Caetano dos Santos Silva ◽  
Lucas de Freitas Gomes ◽  
Willams Teles Barbosa ◽  
...  

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Brazil has grown rapidly since the first case was reported on 26 February 2020. As the pandemic has spread, the low availability of medical equipment has increased, especially mechanical ventilators. The Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) claimed to have only 40,508 mechanical ventilators, which would be insufficient to support the Brazilian population at the pandemic peak. This lack of ventilators, especially in public hospitals, required quick, assertive, and effective actions to minimize the health crisis. This work provides an overview of the rapid deployment of a network for maintaining disused mechanical ventilators in public and private healthcare units in some regions of Brazil during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Data referring to the processes of maintaining equipment, acquiring parts, and conducting national and international training were collected and analyzed. In total, 4047 ventilators were received by the maintenance sites, and 2516 ventilators were successfully repaired and returned to the healthcare units, which represents a success rate of 62.17%. The results show that the maintenance initiative directly impacted the availability and reliability of the equipment, allowing access to ventilators in the public and private health system and increasing the capacity of beds during the pandemic.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lerwen Liu

AbstractSingapore, located at the centre of Asia, is an ideal dynamic hub to converge advanced R & D and industry leaders, robust alliances, new technologies and world class infrastructure. In the field of nanotechnology, Singapore is equipped with state of the art facilities (one of the best in the world) for nanotechnology R & D and it has unique open research environment for encouraging and attracting international collaboration and industry cooperation. Combining its efficient government administration and international business and financial environment, Singapore is becoming an attractive place for setting up leading R & D centres, research and development partnerships for research institutions and industries, and for locating company regional headquarters. Singapore government is aggressively promoting innovation and launched attractive funding schemes in help fostering SMEs and spin offs from research institutions. Singapore government has committed SGD 13.55 Billion (USD10B) on R & D for the period of 2006-2010 (over 200% increase from the previous 5 year period), making Singapore GERD to 3% of GDP by 2010. Singapore is not only a melting point of diverse cultures but most importantly a place for exciting converging technologies, global partnerships and creates growth nanotech industries. In this article we give an overview on the Singapore public and private financing schemes for nanotech R & D and commercialisation. Incentives for supporting start-ups as well as R & D partnerships with research institutes are summarized. We outlined the world-class infrastructure for nanotech R & D. Summary of nanotech R & D efforts are highlighted.


Author(s):  
Alyshia Gálvez

In the two decades since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect, Mexico has seen an epidemic of diet-related illness. While globalization has been associated with an increase in chronic disease around the world, in Mexico, the speed and scope of the rise has been called a public health emergency. The shift in Mexican foodways is happening at a moment when the country’s ancestral cuisine is now more popular and appreciated around the world than ever. What does it mean for their health and well-being when many Mexicans eat fewer tortillas and more instant noodles, while global elites demand tacos made with handmade corn tortillas? This book examines the transformation of the Mexican food system since NAFTA and how it has made it harder for people to eat as they once did. The book contextualizes NAFTA within Mexico’s approach to economic development since the Revolution, noticing the role envisioned for rural and low-income people in the path to modernization. Examination of anti-poverty and public health policies in Mexico reveal how it has become easier for people to consume processed foods and beverages, even when to do so can be harmful to health. The book critiques Mexico’s strategy for addressing the public health crisis generated by rising rates of chronic disease for blaming the dietary habits of those whose lives have been upended by the economic and political shifts of NAFTA.


Author(s):  
Ali Forouzanfar ◽  
Hamideh Sadat Mohammadipour ◽  
Fatemeh Forouzanfar

: Periodontal diseases are highly prevalent and can affect high percentage of the world population. Oxidative stress and inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. Nowadays, more attention has been focused on the herbal remedies in the field of drug discovery. Green tea is an important source of polyphenol antioxidants, it has long been used as a beverage worldwide. The most interesting polyphenol components of green tea leaves that are related with health benefits are the catechins. Taken together this review suggested that green tea with its wide spectrum of activities could be a healthy alternative for controlling the damaging reactions seen in periodontal diseases.


Author(s):  
José van

Platformization affects the entire urban transport sector, effectively blurring the division between private and public transport modalities; existing public–private arrangements have started to shift as a result. This chapter analyzes and discusses the emergence of a platform ecology for urban transport, focusing on two central public values: the quality of urban transport and the organization of labor and workers’ rights. Using the prism of platform mechanisms, it analyzes how the sector of urban transport is changing societal organization in various urban areas across the world. Datafication has allowed numerous new actors to offer their bike-, car-, or ride-sharing services online; selection mechanisms help match old and new complementors with passengers. Similarly, new connective platforms are emerging, most prominently transport network companies such as Uber and Lyft that offer public and private transport options, as well as new platforms offering integrated transport services, often referred to as “mobility as a service.”


Author(s):  
Tal Ilan

The women of the New Testament were Jewish women, and for historians of the period their mention and status in the New Testament constitutes the missing link between the way women are portrayed in the Hebrew Bible and their changed status in rabbinic literature (Mishnah and Talmud). In this chapter, I examine how they fit into the Jewish concepts of womanhood. I examine various recognized categories that are relevant for gender research such as patriarchy, public and private space, law, politics, and religion. In each case I show how these affected Jewish women, and how the picture that emerges from the New Testament fits these categories.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i45-i46
Author(s):  
A Peletidi ◽  
R Kayyali

Abstract Introduction Obesity is one of the main cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.(1) In primary care, pharmacists are in a unique position to offer weight management (WM) interventions. Greece is the European country with the highest number of pharmacies (84.06 pharmacies per 100,000 citizens).(2) The UK was chosen as a reference country, because of the structured public health services offered, the local knowledge and because it was considered to be the closest country to Greece geographically, unlike Australia and Canada, where there is also evidence confirming the potential role of pharmacists in WM. Aim To design and evaluate a 10-week WM programme offered by trained pharmacists in Patras. Methods This WM programme was a step ahead of other interventions worldwide as apart from the usual measuring parameters (weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure (BP)) it also offered an AUDIT-C and Mediterranean diet score tests. Results In total,117 individuals participated. Of those, 97.4% (n=114), achieved the programme’s aim, losing at least 5% of their initial weight. The mean % of total weight loss (10th week) was 8.97% (SD2.65), and the t-test showed statistically significant results (P<0.001; 95% CI [8.48, 9.45]). The programme also helped participants to reduce their waist-to-height ratio, an early indicator of the CVD risk in both male (P=0.004) and female (P<0.001) participants. Additionally, it improved participants’ BP, AUDIT-C score and physical activity levels significantly (P<0.001). Conclusion The research is the first systematic effort in Greece to initiate and explore the potential role of pharmacists in public health. The successful results of this WM programme constitute a first step towards the structured incorporation of pharmacists in public’s health promotion. It proposed a model for effectively delivering public health services in Greece. This study adds to the evidence in relation to pharmacists’ CVD role in public health with outcomes that superseded other pharmacy-led WM programmes. It also provides the first evidence that Greek pharmacists have the potential to play an important role within primary healthcare and that after training they are able to provide public health services for both the public’s benefit and their clinical role enhancement. This primary evidence should support the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association, to “fight” for their rights for an active role in primary care. In terms of limitations, it must be noted that the participants’ collected data were recorded by pharmacists, and the analysis therefore depended on the accuracy of the recorded data, in particular on the measurements or calculations obtained. Although the sample size was achieved, it can be argued that it is small for the generalisation of findings across Greece. Therefore, the WM programme should be offered in other Greek cities to identify if similar results can be replicated, so as to consolidate the contribution of pharmacists in promoting public health. Additionally, the study was limited as it did not include a control group. Despite the limitations, our findings provide a model for a pharmacy-led public health programme revolving around WM that can be used as a model for services in the future. References 1. Mendis S, Puska P, Norrving B, World Health Organization., World Heart Federation., World Stroke Organization. Global atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization in collaboration with the World Heart Federation and the World Stroke Organization; 2011 [cited 2018 Jun 26]. 155 p. Available from: http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/publications/atlas_cvd/en/ 2. Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union. Pharmacy with you throughout life:PGEU Annual Report [Internet]. 2015. Available from: https://www.pgeu.eu/en/library/530:annual-report-2015.html


Author(s):  
Ching Siang Tan ◽  
Saim Lokman ◽  
Yao Rao ◽  
Szu Hua Kok ◽  
Long Chiau Ming

AbstractOver the last year, the dangerous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly around the world. Malaysia has not been excluded from this COVID-19 pandemic. The resurgence of COVID-19 cases has overwhelmed the public healthcare system and overloaded the healthcare resources. Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia has adopted an Emergency Ordinance (EO) to instruct private hospitals to receive both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients to reduce the strain on public facilities. The treatment of COVID-19 patients at private hospitals could help to boost the bed and critical care occupancy. However, with the absence of insurance coverage because COVID-19 is categorised as pandemic-related diseases, there are some challenges and opportunities posed by the treatment fees management. Another major issue in the collaboration between public and private hospitals is the willingness of private medical consultants to participate in the management of COVID-19 patients, because medical consultants in private hospitals in Malaysia are not hospital employees, but what are termed “private contractors” who provide patient care services to the hospitals. Other collaborative measures with private healthcare providers, e.g. tele-conferencing by private medical clinics to monitor COVID-19 patients and the rollout of national vaccination programme. The public and private healthcare partnership must be enhanced, and continue to find effective ways to collaborate further to combat the pandemic. The MOH, private healthcare sectors and insurance providers need to have a synergistic COVID-19 treatment plans to ensure public as well as insurance policy holders have equal opportunities for COVID-19 screening tests, vaccinations and treatment.


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